President Obama said today he expects a new General Motors to emerge from the ashes of its historic filing for bankruptcy. Guest host Sara Terry considers a restructured GM, the government's involvement as major stakeholder, and the impact of the failure for auto workers, parts suppliers and dealers? Also, the battle for Minnesota’s still-contested US Senate seat, and a Kansas doctor who provided abortions is murdered at a Sunday church service.

FROM THIS EPISODE

President Obama said today he expects a new General Motors to emerge from the ashes of its historic filing for bankruptcy. He also warned that there are more hard times ahead. Guest host Sara Terry considers what a restructured GM will look like, how hands-off the government will be as the company’s major stakeholder, and what the failure means for auto workers, parts suppliers and dealers? Also, the battle for Minnesota’s still-contested US Senate seat. On Reporter's Notebook, anti-abortionists called him “Tiller the killer." Now, Doctor George Tiller, who performed late-term abortions, has been killed.

Banner image: General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson speaks with reporters following an announcement that General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker for 77 years, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

It used to be said that “what’s good for General Motors is good for the country.” Not any more. The car company that muscled its way to becoming one of the largest manufacturers in the world filed for bankruptcy today. It’s the fourth largest bankruptcy in American history. After pouring billions of dollars into the failed company, how will the US government restructure GM, as it becomes the major stakeholder? Will the United Auto Workers union survive or be forced to merge with another union? What kind of cars will roll off the assembly line of a new, streamlined GM?

George Tiller was a doctor who provided late-term abortions. Known as “St. George” by supporters and “Dr. Killer by the anti-abortion movement, he was a frequent target for anti-abortion protests. Yesterday, he was murdered at the church he attends in Wichita, Kansas. Carole Joffe, professor of sociology at the University of California-Davis, studies the politics and sociology of reproductive health.